UCLA Football Preview: Bruins Need to Score Against Much-Maligned Southern Cal Defense
UCLA Football Preview: Bruins Need to Score Against Much-Maligned Southern Cal Defense
If UCLA wants to take home the Victory Bell, the offense will need to find a way to get into the end zone tomorrow
If tomorrow’s game would have been played before the Oregon State game, UCLA would be coming into it with a much better chance of winning than most of think they actually have tomorrow.
That’s because the Bruin offense being called by Chip Kelly, Offensive Genius, has sputtered in recent weeks. An offense which had been to fewer than 24 points only once suddenly cannot seem to score more than one touchdown per game.
If UCLA could find the offense it had as recently as the Stanford game, I’d like the Bruins’ chances a lot better than I do today.
That’s because the Southern Cal defense has been horrifically bad most of the season. It was so bad that Lincoln Riley fired his friend Alex Grinch, which was something Kelly refused to do with his former defensive coordinator Jerry Azzinaro.
That doesn’t mean the Trojan defense has necessarily gotten any better without Grinch. They still gave up 36 points to Oregon last week, after all.
Like most of UCLA’s recent opponents, SC will play a 4-2-5 Nickel as their base defense.
Let’s look at the Southern Cal defensive personnel.
Defensive Line
Bear Alexander will start at nose tackle. Bear certainly seems like an appropriate name for the 300-pound defensive lineman. The sophomore, who transferred from Georgia, has started every game this season except for the game against UC Berkeley. He has made 37 tackles including 5.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks. In addition to four quarterback hurries, he has also recorded two pass breakups. So, he definitely likes to get his big paws up in the air when rushing the passer.
The other tackle is likely to be either senior Tyrone Taleni or redshirt senior Stanley Ta'ufo'ou. Taleni, who started last week’s game, has seen limited action this year, playing in just seven games. In those games, he’s made just ten tackles. On the other hand, Ta'ufo'ou has played in all eleven, but has only made seven tackles, though he does have a QB hurry and a forced fumble as well.
On the outside, redshirt senior Solomon Byrd will start at defensive end. Byrd looks like a guy the Bruins want to stay away from. He leads the defensive line in tackles with 41. He is second on the team to Jamil Muhammad in both TFLs with 9.5 and sacks with five.
Speaking of Muhammad, the redshirt senior edge rusher who transferred from Georgia State leads in those two categories with ten TFLs and six sacks even though his 37 tackles are fewer than Byrd.
Linebackers
Mike linebacker Mason Cobb transferred to Southern Cal from Oklahoma State this past Spring. He’s been one of the better transfers for the Trojans considering that he leads the team in tackles with 72 including 6.5 TFLs. He has also broken up one pass.
It’s a bit of a mystery as to who will start at Will linebacker. For most of the season freshman Tackett Curtis was that guy. He’s certainly contributed on defense. His 40 tackles are the sixth-most on the team. Of those, he has four TFLs and two sacks. He also has a breakup, a QB hurry and a forced fumble to go with his two fumble recoveries.
But in the last three weeks, sophomore Eric Gentry started twice while junior Raesjon Davis started last week. Gentry has 34 tackles this year including four TFLs and a sack. He also has four pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble. Davis has made 18 tackles in just nine games.
Secondary
Four of the five guys in the secondary seem pretty set.
Redshirt senior Christian Roland-Wallace and sophomore Domani Jackson will most likely be the starting corners. Roland-Wallace is the team’s best ballhawk as evidenced by his team-leading seven pass breakups, and his two interceptions ties him for the team lead with Calen Bullock. He’s also made 31 tackles including two TFLs. Meanwhile, Domani Jackson has 28 tackles and three breakups. In addition to his two picks, Bullock, a junior from Pasadena who will start at strong safety, has six pass breakups and 59 tackles, the second-most on the team.
The starting free safety could be any one of three guys. Max Williams has started seven games this season including last week’s game against Oregon, but Bryson Shaw has started three games and redshirt freshman Zion Branch, older brother of receiver Zachariah Branch, got the start three weeks ago against Berkeley.
Shaw is fourth on the team in tackles with 49 while Williams has made 25 in just eight games. Williams has also picked off a pass and hurried opposing quarterbacks twice. Meanwhile, Branch has 22 tackles and a forced fumble.
When it comes to the nickel back, expect it to be Jaylin Smith if he’s healthy. But that’s a big if. Smith has 57 tackles this year including 4.5 TFLs. He’s clearly their best option at nickel if he is able to play after suffering an injury against Washington which kept him out against Oregon last week. If he’s not able to play, look for redshirt freshman Tre'Quon Fegans to start. He made five of his nine tackles against the Ducks last week.
Analysis
If the Bruins can keep the ball moving and, after the past two games, that’s a really big if, they should be able to have their way with the Trojan defense. Unfortunately, there appears to be no more creativity left in Chip Kelly if UCLA finds themselves inside the Trojans’ 10-yard line, and kicking a field goal doesn’t appear to be an option any longer as both R.J. Lopez and Blake Glessner have shown an inability to make anything resembling a field goal.
Basically, it’s situations like this that are the reasons they play the games on the field instead of on paper.
The bottom line: The Bruins need to score as many touchdowns as possible against the beleagured Trojan defense.
Go Bruins!!! Beat SC!!!
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